Heart Pocket Word for the Day is Weather!

Weather Report - 1977 album by Heavy Weather - Click to listen 

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The word from my Heart Pocket is Weather.

It has always been of interest and right now, it's big. We hear about global warming and about weather being a reflection of the current mass consciousness. Scientists are constantly conjecturing and just when they find a connection, nature finds a way to humble. 

We deal with weather as best we can. We check it before we leave the house or go on vacation. We dress accordingly, drive a different route or just stay home. We relish the times when it shines kindly upon us by going on picnics and to the beach, sitting outside at lunch, running through the neighborhood instead of the gym. For some a momentary shower is a blessing. For others, a break in the clouds lets a sunny vitamin D moment heal the body and soul. Weather affects us. There is logic in the theory that we also affect our weather. We are a part of nature. Our gorgeous planet, the untameable universe mirrors our energetic rages and smiles. Whether or not this is true, you can see how it might work in the climate of our personal experience.

Weather is defined as the atmospheric conditions that surround us. We are in control of our own behavior and we get to choose how we react to the storms that brew and finally burst into our lives. Plenty of "weather advisories" are available to us when we are paying attention. We have a personal barometer - ways of measuring our moods and feelings and attitudes - that gives us a chance to prepare for the floods and dry spells and even warns us of the earthquakes and tsunamis in our lives.

Are you a weather watcher? Do you adjust your day according to the atmospheric conditions that surround you? Do you know what circumstances are optimum for you and choose the climate in which you live? Are you able to predict a storm in your life, preparing yourself mentally and emotionally so you can endure and thrive beyond it? Are you equipped with plenty of courage and honesty and creativity and compassion? Are your cupboards filled with the food you might need for nourishment during difficult times? Could you weather an emotional flood or a financial drought? Do you have enough ingenuity and courage on hand to change when needed? Will you get swept away or will you summon creativity and find the challenge of a personal storm invigorating, an exercise in personal growth?

It's a great metaphor for living, the weather. I'm sure you can think of better and more personal comparisons than I can. Notice the weather in your life. Outside, yes, but your internal atmosphere can directly affect how you approach and cope with the external weather vortexes in an ordinary day. Weather is a group activity. Each element is important and in charge of itself. We are those elements. Be in charge of yourself. See if you can affect your personal climate. Gather the tools you need. Choose to enjoy the weather, rain and shine! 

Heart Pocket Word for the Day is Attention!

Compelling images by photographer Lucy Huffstetter - click to see more! 

The word from my heart pocket is Attention.

Notice. Be aware. Observe. Listen and hear. Consider with focus. Be mindful. Suspend time and don't be a slave to it. Be mindful. Enjoy the Moments in your life. A marvelous way to do this is to read a novel or a biography. If reading is an addiction for you, try not reading for an entire day and see where your attention is redirected. Once you awaken to the power of attention, you will be amazed at what you experience!
I was sitting in my car at a stoplight. The person in the car in the adjacent lane was texting. The lane this person was in ended and she would have to pull into my lane in order to get on the freeway. I looked over at her several times while we waited to wave her in front of me. She was busy with her phone and didn't look up. The light turned green and I glanced one more time at the driver next to me. Her attention was still on her cell phone. I wanted to be on time for an appointment and turned my attention back to the light. Off I went. I heard a din of honking horns, all aimed toward the young lady who was intent on checking her emails. Because her attention was elsewhere, she missed the opportunity to easily get on the freeway. She also stopped the flow of traffic. She might have been lost and looking at a map on her phone to decide whether to get on the freeway or take another route. In any case, both of us gave our attention to what was most important to us at the moment. I looked in my rear view mirror as I entered the freeway and saw her hit the steering wheel with her hand. She would have to wait for another green light.


Wherever we focus our attention is where the opportunities lie. Opportunity is everywhere and while we're looking at the classifieds, the front page might mention the lead we need. When we focus on exercise and diet alone, the taxes still sit on the dining room table. We might not listen closely to a friend's story at lunch and miss the part about the boss looking for a new department manager. We choose to help our child with his science project instead of watching American Idol. The winner gets our attention. If we are pleased with how things are going or surprised we're not getting anywhere, perhaps we should take a look at where we are putting our attention.

There is no right or wrong here. It is full of logic and is backed up by persistence and passion. Sometimes an effort requires all of our attention. For a period of allotted time, we zero in and shut everything else out. We can also spread our attention throughout our day and accomplish a lot in a short period of time. Sometimes we need to divert our attention to something restful and pleasurable so the imagination can help the brain connect the dots. Taking a moment to focus on prioritizing the day is a moment well spent. When we pull the camera to see the whole picture, our attention is drawn to the panorama. We can see the beauty in our project (our lives) and we might have a different perspective on our approach. We might need to zoom back in on a specific area and notice the details. Using all of our senses, including those that are not as practiced like intuition and spatial sensitivities, show opportunities we could never have otherwise imagined.

Heart Pocket Word for the Day is Deep!

 

It's Deep - click to meet Emma

The word from my heart pocket is Deep.

Deep. Where does it live? We think of the ocean, we associate the word with excavation and dark mysterious places. Deep in the forest. Deep in the recesses of my mind. 

The original Old English word is deop, two syllables and with a long sounding e. Deop. When spoken that way, the end of the word drops into wherever deop lies.

The word has other nuances, of course: Enhance, expand, magnify, increase, reinforce, strengthen, intensify, heighten, grow. We deepen our resolve, we have a deep passion for someone, we know something from the depths of our being.

There is a reason we associate the word deep with the mysterious, the dark and the sacred. It is there we are still and have the possibility of experiencing the quality parts of ourselves. Our daily lives are like water skiing - skimming along the surface fast and furiously on an incredible and wild ride. It can be hectic and frustrating or incredibly exciting and our whole being works to keep up. But we cannot do it without going deep now and then. We have to stop and let our mind muscles rest, our body rejuvenate, our happiness must replenish itself with stillness, anonymity, a break from our egos. The Deep is a popular name for the ocean, the most universal symbol of mystery because of our attachment to its many qualities. They are familiar to us because we behave like the ocean, with raging storms, constant waves to stir our creativity and to offer variety in our lives. We experience the cold and silence found at the ocean floor, down deep where everything changes, where we can hear our heartbeat and experience the buried treasures life offers. When we go deep inside ourselves, we are surrounded by a soundless protection and we let go of trifles. We transcend interruption and irritation and enjoy a peace we so richly deserve.

The deep is there when we live in the present moment. This currently popular notion is ancient and really works. We have only to try it to experience it. The benefit comes to each of us. Some might need practice at blocking out the world in order to experience oneself. It's actually not mysterious or filled with hocus-pocus. It is scientific and healthy and a gift we give to ourselves.  

Find a place and time for the deep in your life. You can experience with eyes closed or with eyes filled with the wonder of a new experience. The deep is a part of you and the more you use it - as in all things - the more a part of you it becomes.